Connemara

A breathtaking bike tour in Ireland

This Connemara bicycle tour explores a beautiful region famous for its rugged granite landscape as well as its beautiful lakes and rivers. Cycling Connemara offers an incredible variety of scenery each day. In the morning, you can be biking along the beautiful coastline while in the afternoon you could find yourself on a quiet bog road with stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

The roads are all tarmacked and the route is designed to ensure that you spend most of the week on quiet back roads, away from the main tourist routes all designed to give you an amazing bike tour in Ireland. To experience the majestic scenery of this area the route does have some climbs, so it is worth getting a few weekends training on a bike in varied terrain before coming, ensuring that you can fully enjoy the week.

This tour begins and ends in Galway city, Ireland’s liveliest city with cobbled streets of entertainers and pubs spilling over with merriment with the wonderful backdrop of Galway Bay. The cycling starts from the village of Cong made famous by the film “The Quiet Man” starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.

Our route takes in the best of the area including the colorful town of Westport, the pilgrimage mountain of Croagh Patrick, the stunning Delphi Valley, Killary Harbour, Kylemore Abbey, Clifden, and the famous Sky Road.

However, for many, it is the lesser known sections of this route that are the real draw as you cycle Connemara across spectacular open boglands, past deserted beaches, and charming seaside villages. A full list of all of our bike tours in Ireland can be found here.

please note

Skill Level

Easy to Moderate self-guided or group hotel tour. Daily cycling distances reach 30 to 40 miles (48 to 64 km) per day with longer routes being available each day. The tour is suitable for adults of all ages and fitness levels but the self-guided tours are not suited for children under 15 years of age. Supported tour means that there is a support vehicle with tour leader but he/she does not cycle with group.

DAY 1: GALWAY CITY(For group tour only: transfer to Clonbur and overnight)Arrival in Galway city. If you arrive early, you can cycle Galway exploring this bustling medieval city. For the group tour only, at 6:30 PM there will be a transfer to overnight town Clonbur where you will have dinner. The self-guided tour participants will remain in Galway City for the night and in the morning, there will be a transfer to Clonbur.

DAY 2: CLONBUR - WESTPORT, 38 mi. (60 km)For those who are cycling self-guided, you will be transferred to Clonbur and our County Galway bike tour begins by heading north along quiet back roads through rolling green fields full of grazing sheep, you will descend down to Lough Mask and cycle along the shores of the lake. After lunch, the biggest climb of the week awaits you over the Partry Mountains, before continuing along a quiet back road with stunning views of the surrounding landscape. The day ends in the colorful village of Westport.

DAY 3: WESTPORT - LEENANE, 33 mi. (52 km)You will cycle between Croagh Patrick and the beautiful Clew Bay with its many small islands, to the village of Louisburgh where you will stop for lunch. In the afternoon, the route continues south through one of the highlights of the week, the stunning Delphi Valley with its beautiful lakes overlooked by Ben Bury, the highest mountain in Connemara. The night will be spent in the small village of Leenane which overlooks Killary Harbour, Ireland’s only fjord.

DAY 4: LEENANE TO CLIFDEN, 35 mi. (58 km)Today you will cycle into the heart of Connemara overlooked by the Twelve Bens mountain range and visit Kylemore Abbey, a wedding gift from a wealthy Liverpool businessman to his wife in 1868. The cycle continues along quiet backroads past small fields with grazing cattle to the seaside village of Cleggan where you will enjoy lunch. In the afternoon, you will cycle along a scenic coastal road to Clifden where cars travel across the beach to Omey Island; only accessible when the tide is out! Clifden, the capital of Connemara, is a pretty and bustling town full of art galleries, cafes, pubs and restaurants established 200 years ago.

DAY 5: REST DAY IN CLIFDENThe day can be spent in rest and relaxation or you can take part in a variety of activities including walking, golf or horseback riding. You can also spend the day just relaxing on one of the many beautiful white sandy beaches, or visit the landing site of the first transatlantic flight. The town itself is a nice place to spend time visiting the museum, art galleries, book shops and cafes. In the evening there are a number of bars which have traditional live music.

DAY 6: CLIFDEN TO ARAN ISLANDS, 35 mi. (58 km)Cycling out of Clifden along beautiful waterside roads, you will cross extensive wild bogs with freshly cut peat waiting to be harvested against a backdrop of the Twelve Benns Mountains. The afternoon cycle takes you through Gaelic speaking areas to the ferry in Rossaveel which will cross to Inis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands.

DAY 7: ARAN ISLANDS TO GALWAY, 22 mi. (35 km)The day can be spent touring the unique landscape of the island with its wealth of ancient stone forts and monastic sights. In the late afternoon, you will return to the mainland and take a bus back to Galway city. You will enjoy a final dinner and night on the town before departure the following morning.

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Pricing Information

Travel Details

Travel

Local Travel

From the airport, public transportation can be obtained. Bus Eireann provides connections to and from all of Ireland’s major cities. Tickets can be purchased online.

Climate

Because it is an island located near the gulf stream Ireland has a very mild climate making it ideal for cycling. The temperature range during the summer is between 15 and 22 degrees centigrade (60 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit).

Remarks

There are a limited number of electric bikes available. Please ask us at the time of booking.

Tour Operator

This tour is operated by Irish Cycling Safaris. We do not run these tours ourselves, we never have. We work on commission from our local partners plus a small administration fee of €20. We pride ourselves on the strong relationship we have with our local partners and the services we provide.

Customer Feedback

Mark R.11 months ago

The person who dropped off the bikes did not have the tools to adjust the handle bars, so the bikes did not fit well.The saddle (bike seat) was the type that would be commonly found on a road bike and not on a touring bike.The gears were not aligned correctly, so it was extremely difficult to shift gears. Sometimes, in order to shift gears, it was required to repeatedly shift the gears up and down before the bike would shift into the lower or upper gear.

The Aran island of Inishmore was most memorable to me. We chose to take a €10 minibus tour instead of trying to ride bikes on the rough, skinny roads there. It was a good decision, as my daughter and I were the only passengers! The guide John O'Donnell gave us a very informative historical interpretation of the island on our way to and from the fantastic Dun Aengus fort. He also recommended The Bar in town for lunch, where I enjoyed the most delicious lamb stew I have ever eaten! The Aran island of Inis Mor was a fantastic ending to the trip. I will never forget the sights and people of this island, the 2nd century BC fort Dun Aunghas site, nor the delicious lamb stew I ate at The Bar in the village of Kilronan.

In response to Patrice, who asked me about my rating for this trip, I have decided to up it to 3 stars in retrospect. As others have stated, it was the local Irish people with whom we were in contact each day who made this trip enjoyable and memorable. Without exception they were warm, congenial, and more than helpful; I just loved them!

As for the trip itself, we found it disappointing in a few ways: The van that was assigned to pick us and our bikes up the very first day didn't show up, requiring us to get a late start to the day, which was stressful since we were on a time crunch to make it to the next stop. The riding directions were not always clear, and could leave questions in our minds; one time, for example, I interpreted the wording wrong and ended up riding in the wrong direction for a good distance. We knocked on a door and a lovely family got out a map and showed us the best route to our destination.In addition, there were only a few kilometers of this entire trip that we would have rated "easy." Most was moderate, and the many foothills and the narrow roads with fast traffic made some of it difficult. The bikes were ok, but I had some difficulty with the gears--especially on the steeper hills.

Lynn Tindula3 years ago

We went in July, two years ago. The Irish people were delightful. Everywhere we stayed was great!The Irish homes (B&B's) had all been updated and bedrooms and bathrooms were comfortable and modern. All of the hosts were just wonderful; so accommodating and fun to talk with! Irish breakfasts were great in the B&B’s. The food was delicious almost everywhere!

You do a fair amount of riding on the road with cars in Ireland. The drivers are very nice and respectful of bikers, but I do like a dedicated bike path better. Also, some of the rides were a bit more challenging than our previous trips but you can take it at your own pace and they usually give you can easier option. The scenic beauty of the west of Ireland is spectacular!

LOVED the Irish people - friendly, accommodating, with a terrific sense of humor. We ended our trip by staying four days in Dublin. I would recommend the trip! If you haven't been to Europe before and/or don't speak another language, Ireland is very easy to navigate and everyone is very helpful!

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